Most school districts in rural Alaska lease furnished housing to teachers. My district is no exception. Today I want to share some pics with you, my dear readers. And here it is! This shade of red is a common paint color in Alaska.
I’m lucky to have a roof over my front steps so they don’t get too slippery. The blue tote stores garbage until I can get to the dump.
I’m also lucky to have a nice view from my porch 🙂
Moving inside… This is called an arctic room or arctic entry — like a foyer, but less fancy. Basically, it’s a small room that separates the front door (brrr) from the rest of the house.
Take a right, and you’re in the living room.
A bookshelf in the corner holds some items from the Alaska wilderness: driftwood from the Yukon River, an unidentified green rock found on the beach in Gustavus, and a fossil.
On Labor Day weekend I made this artwork for my dining area. I painted the sky with a paper towel and the birch trees with an old credit card! Click here to learn how to make your own.
Here’s the kitchen. The art above the sink was made by Pat Minock, a local artist. He invited me to his house last spring to look at his prints. He’s a really nice guy with interesting stories. You can see and buy his art here.
This is the hallway. To the left: pantry, roommate’s bedroom (not pictured), and my bedroom. To the right: kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room. At the end: spare bedroom.
It’s hard to keep this space organized, especially when you buy groceries in bulk.
The bathroom is not too interesting, but it’s clean!
Most of my decorating efforts occur in my bedroom. I got the tapestry to hide some of the wood paneling.
The curtain hides my closet.
I have a few mementos on top of my dresser and some pictures hanging above.
The hottest room in the house: the boiler/washing machine room…
…and through the door on the far end, the coldest room (which is really an attached shed): the storage/dryer room.
Finally, the spare bedroom.
I hope you enjoyed touring my humble abode! Feel free to leave questions in the comments.